10 Best Wrestling Face Paints Ever
War paint can be beautiful too.
Since his tag team partner Konnor was suspended for 60 days for a second WWE Wellness Program violation, Viktor of The Ascension has had to do a little bit of soul-searching. All of this has led to him changing up his look somewhat, and though he did come up short against Zack Ryder on WWE Main Event, he at least did showcase some great new face paint in the process.
Face paint and professional wrestling have a long history, and anyone who was lucky enough to be a fan in the 1980s will have their own favourites when it comes to superstars and painted grids. Heck, for a while in the 1980s it seemed as though every third superstar wore face paint, and when I went to my first wrestling show as a small child my dad went in full Ultimate Warrior face garb. Needless to say, he was the only face-painted adult there.
No one can be sure who the first were, but most believe the first face-painted wrestlers on TV were Adrian Street and The Great Kabuki, way back when. Face-painting has come a long, long way since, and the designs worn by many today are far more complex than those from the '80s and '90s.
Even so, let's try and combine history and complexity to decide the best wrestling face paints ever.
10. The Batiri
The least known entity on this list by an absolute mile, The Batiri deserve more than just a mention when it comes to the weird world of professional wrestling face paint. A trio performing in CHIKARA and billed from Bled Island (ironically one of the most beautiful spots in all of Europe), Kobald, Obariyon, and Kodama have somehow become one of the most popular acts in Mike Quackenbush's bizarre promotion.
Their face paint stands out more than most, and a lot of that is down to the colour juxtaposition going on. The designs themselves are fairly standard, all gothic patterns and horror movie eyes, but whoever made the decision to put bright green/yellow next to black deserve a medal. A bright, bright medal.
Face paint is supposed to help performers stand out, and nothing stands out more than neon green. Good work, you weird demons you.